The Eiffel Tower, Essay Example

Understanding the Power of Words through Imagery

How much does one work say about a city? Eiffel Tower, Paris’ most celebrated landmarks has served a great deal of determining France’s reputation in the field of international tourism. People from within the country notice the fact that such a work of art serves more than just a distinct mark of their city; instead, it provides a distinct visual indication about their history and their people’s characteristics. This is why people from all over the globe do more than just appreciate this piece of art, they try to understand the story behind it and just stare in awe as they try to understand the whole meaning of this art to Paris and its people. This concept of seeing the overall value of a particular work of art in relation to what it leaves to those that are surrounding it is noted in the theory of derive specifically presented and developed by Guy Debord (1955). According to him, in the field of urban development, making statements about a particular city’s progress through architectural expressionism could be considered as a form of psychogeography (Debord, 1955, 112).

Psychogeography specifically points out on the capacity of the surrounding environment to impact the thinking and the living conditions of the people. Given the capacity to realize their goals fully through the assumptive ways by which their environment is able to provide them the vigor that they need, the psychology behind the study of the impact of surroundings to the character and the being of the people could be noted to have psychological values directed towards improving people’s lives (Coverley, 2006). The process by which the cities are explored to expose their best potential in sending out a message of progress to all the residents and others who might want to visit the location is a crucial part of urban planning. Its practical application in a social context does create a distinct indication on how the administrators of a particular city would likely want to be known and recognized in the world and among their own people (Coverly, 2006).

What of the Eiffel tower? Does it fit the description of being an iconic piece that brings about a positive sense of psychogeography in Paris and the whole of France? To note, it is first important to understand the history that binds this work of art. Named after Gustave Eiffel, the one who owns the company that designed the tower, this work of art was erected in 1889 as it served as the entrance arch to the World’s Fair during the same year. Considered to be the tallest structure in Paris, it has become one of the most visited towers of the world. Surpassing the height of the Washington Monument, the tower stands at 324 meters high which is almost equivalent to an 81 storey building  (Harris, 1975). In 1957, the addition of broadcast antennae atop the tower made it even taller than the Chrysler Building.

Primarily built to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution, the Eiffel tower stands as a great depiction of what is noted as the victory of the French people (Harris, 1975). It defines sophisticated art and marked the beginning of an industrial succession in Paris. It determined the beginning of what later on came to be known as the industrial revolution in the country. The erection of the tower in the middle of Paris reminds the people of the greater heights they can achieve to be able to reach their goals as they embrace the concept of progress as part of their role as members of their thriving communities in the city.

The process of getting the tower into the map of Paris was not easy. While the developers saw its beauty, some of the local artists themselves protested to its creation. In an expository protest, the local artists enjoined by writers, painters and even [some] architects, mention how they felt about the tower being useless and relatively monstrous in size. At the time, they did not realize what the tower was for and what mark it is supposed to make for Paris. Being that the time of the Eiffel Tower’s birth came under the development of the classical art era, people were not yet ready for something extraordinary, something out from the traditional ways of describing beauty. Not everyone understood the concept of psychogeography at the time. Most of the people, including the artists, saw the tower as a useless structure; something that did not serve the purpose of representing what was then noted as the sophisticated Parisian art. The tower, being built from metal after metal after another metal was seen by the critics as a mere waste of resources, time and effort; they saw no art in the presentation of what was expected to be a huge tower in the middle of their city.

The real meaning and function that the Eiffel Tower served did not come into full realization after years of it being erected. Today, at least 56% of the total GDP of Paris France comes from tourists within the country and outside the nation who want to see the Eiffel Tower and experience the grandiose that it has to offer them. The hasty reactions of the writers and other artists in the past have been rendered as a sense of failure to see what the future holds for the city. Tourism was of course not yet as blossoming then as it is now; perhaps this is why the communities then did not fully realize the real worth of a structure such as the Eiffel Tower being erected in their midst.

In relation to the case of the Eiffel Tower, its history and the mark that it has made in the face of Paris’ grand story, it could be analyzed that the meaning of a specific structure being planned for and being created at the time being may not be immediately fully realized. Nevertheless, this should not invoke a sense of cessation on the desire of keeping a great sense of risk factor that would make it possible for great things to happen and great structures to take place in areas will serve to be most interesting to humankind. The fate of the Eiffel Tower was not fully understood by the people, nevertheless, it serves as the most visible landmark in all areas of Paris, something that the people at present are really very proud of.

The message sent by the Eiffel Tower to the people of France and its visitors continue to linger in the minds and the memories of the people who visited the place and even to those who might still be planning to do so. From small plans come greater things, from supposed risks come greater beginnings; this particular fact envelopes the history of the Eiffel Tower. Had not the engineers who pursued its creation accepted the challenge and took the risk of being ridiculed by people who are considered powerful at the time, there would be not landmark that would serve as Paris’ identification in the field of international tourism today. As a result of the pursuance and perseverance of the people who worked hard behind the creation of the tower amidst all the criticisms they had to face during the time, the Eiffel Tower was erected in full grandiose; a structure copied by many but never topped by anyone up to this point of time. The craftsmanship that identifies well with the structure specifically creates a determining mark that the people of Paris enjoy today. Not only did it serve as mark in history, it also served as the determining point of development in the field of modern industrial engineering. The creation of an almost impossible design continues to serve as a great inspiration to many modern engineers to go beyond the limits, to set aside criticism and make sure that their work, no matter how seemingly off-grid they may appear, would become a determining factor of their skill; something that will make their name and their skills be proven through time. Continuously embracing development through embarking on new things that have not yet been explored in the past; this is the message that the Eiffel Tower continues to echo to people and experts who want to succeed its creative background to serve as a mark of their skills and their excellence in their own nations. Truly, this concept of realizing the true value of the Eiffel Tower in becoming one of the most celebrated manmade structures on earth corresponds with the ideals of the concept of the theory of derive. The tower does provide a structured message that people at present view more than just as a tangible and visual presentation of excellence but a structure of hope that champions greatness amidst all the challenges that humans need to contend with.

Works Cited

Debord, Guy. (1955). Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography. Les Lèvres Nues #6 (Paris, September 1955). Translated by Ken Knabb.

Coverley, Merlin (2006). Psychogeography. London: Pocket Essentials.

Harriss, Joseph (1975). The Eiffel Tower: Symbol of an Age. London: Paul Elek. p. 231.